What's wrong with this picture?

Yes, if you look closely, that resembles the center console of a car..and it happens to belong to me. So someone thought it would be a hoot to break into my car and steal my poor little radio. They didn't do it very nicely either because they ripped apart the plastic and bent pieces of metal and broke off more than just the radio portion. Not a very good thief. Needless to say, though, that I was not terribly pleased and have to go through the headache of getting it fixed and all that nonsense. Luckily, I have a zero deductible so I don't have to come up with any money out of pocket to fix it and buy a new radio. I would have rather just given them the $50 though...less hassle.

It finally happened!

No need to check your pulses...you are still alive and there is finally a new blog posted here! Amazing, I know.

I could offer excuse after excuse as to why it has taken me so long to update (I hang my head in shame)...I will say one thing and then subject dropped and I will update better. Things have been so busy for me and I don't really have much access to the internet like I used to. I no longer work at a desk and I don't get internet in my bedroom, so at night, when I have a few minutes, walking downstairs to the office does not appeal to me at all. Ok, that's all.

A lot has been going on in the last couple months. I am still in North Carolina, currently doing a training school and on staff at the same time. And for those of you that don't know what my responsibility is here at the base...I am one of two kitchen managers! I realize some of you could be laughing since that is so far from my experience, but it has not been too bad. Things are more routine now so that helps and I have a good team to work with. I just never pictured myself doing anything of that nature and I am definitely learning a great deal!

I have thought about this blog (and have been bugged about it by a number of friends!) and knew there were things to write about, but never got around to it. But I will do better. Bear with me though. Love ya!

The Blakeney Girls

These are the three girls I live with, from L-R, Summer, me, Mandy and Kristina...and I daily learn more reasons to love them. After discovering I share the love for the show "Lost" with one of them, we ran out to the video store to rent season 2. We watched a couple of them and then all 4 of us sat around laughing and telling stories. Sometimes the best fun is completely unplanned.

Life in NC

As I continue to get settled in and learn how things work around here in my new home, I find that I am enjoying almost every minute of it. It all feels pretty natural and the overall transition has been great. There are times, though, that I feel like I am on a short outreach and will be returning home to LA and work with media again. The training school I am taking part in starts in about 3 weeks, and I am sure with that beginning, the whole permanency of it all will hit me. We shall see.

This past week has been an experiment in cooking. Living in places where the food is made for you and all you have to do is show up at a certain time for the last 3 1/2 years has certainly made me a bit rusty (ok, I was never considered a culninary artist, but I could make a few things). With only a few staff here right now, one of my marvelous new roommates, Summer, and I braved the grocery store and made some pretty tasty, well-balanced meals for ourselves and a few other people. And to top it off, I actually enjoyed the whole process!

The weekend excitement was my family coming to visit...my parents, two of my sisters and my grandma. This was the first time they have met some of the people I have talked about for years. And while it was so good to have them here, it was wierd to see people from two completely different parts of my life in the same room. We didn't really do anything spectacular (seeing as how there really isn't anything to do around here anyway), but it was great to see them and hang out with them.

One last thing...my foot is definitely getting better...still a little sore, but I can walk without crutches and the limp is not quite as drastic anymore. I just walk more carefully down driveways now. Who knew they could be so dangerous?!

this blog was updated just for karyn! ;-) giving into pressure!

What joy...

I seem to have my most graceless moments in front of my friends...though I suppose I wouldn't really want it to happen when I had no one to laught about it afterwards. The first was at the jacuzzi (for those of you who know, commence laughing at the memory of it)...and the second was last night.

I was minding my own business, walking over to someone's house when my ankle decided that it wasn't going to perform it's normal functions and I went very quickly and painfully to the ground. To insult to injury, it was raining and I was laying on my back getting very wet. I was right outside my friend's house so they all came running out and had to help me get up. And now I have to use crutches. Thank goodness it isn't broken, but it is sprained very bad! sigh...no fun!

Business Trip?

Today was my first day at work and at the morning meeting, I was told/asked about going on a little "business trip" to Atlanta. There is going to be a concert night at Six Flags and we are setting up a booth with information about the base here in Charlotte.

The catch: the event is from 12 midnight to 6 am. And we are driving down this Friday at 3 pm, setting up the booth, starting at midnight, and leaving at 6 am to return to North Carolina. Can we say energy drinks?

Despite the long hours and mass amounts of caffiene I will have to consume, I think the thing I dread the most is getting back in the car...again! I just seem to keep having to make long journeys by car and should be used to it by now. First it was the trek across the states, then the 6 hour drive to and then back from the beach this past weekend and now to Atlanta this coming weekend.

I have to look on the positive side of it all and be excited about the opportunities I have had to get to know my car mates very well. Below is Alicia and I on day 3 of our drive to North Carolina. We were still smiling, so that was a good sign (and we had just a had a great lunch and most of all, we were out of the stinkin' car!) Love ya, Alicia!

beach days

A few of us staff from the base went on a little weekend getaway to the beach. I am currently looking at the beach from an air-conditioned venue (a coffee shop) because I got a little red yesterday. And Karisse, before you get mad, I did wear sunscreen and sat under a stinkin' umbrella the whole time (I have witnesses), so I really don't understand how it happened. But in an effort to not make it worse, I am inside today.

We went fishing last night, with very little success. I know, I barely believe it myself...I went fishing! I have a picture coming soon as proof for those skeptics out there. One of us 6 actually caught a small little fish, but with goodwill in mind, we threw it back.

I have been in North Carolina for a week now and spent a few days unpacking and relaxing and trying to adjust, which has been really good, considering. I will actually start working on Monday, and I think reality of the whole move will begin to set in.

At long last!

Monroe, NC: A small southern town about a half hour south of Charlotte that I now call home.

After 8 states lines and 2500 miles, Alicia and I finally made it! As we passed the "Welcome to Monroe" sign, we definitely let out a HUGE sigh of relief and joy!

I think I am in a bit of shock, knowing this is where I am going to live, not just for a visit. This shock is by no means a reflection of my excitement to be here because I am looking foward to what I am doing, but more a disbelief that I don't live in LA anymore.

I am going to check out more of the town in the next couple days and start unpacking my things. I don't know exactly how that is going to work because I am pretty sure I have more things than I have space for. But I will figure something out.

Day one over!

It has been a long day and I am glad to be out of the car. Alicia and I left LA early this morning, after I only slept about 2 hours. Saying good bye was hard, but I don't think it has all hit me yet. It probably will my first night sleeping in my new bed in North Carolina.

We are in Albuquerque right now in a hotel. Originally we were going to stay at a hostel...until we got there. We didn't really feel safe and parking was sketchy. I didn't like the idea of having all my stuff in my car. So we left the hostel and went to 2 hotels before finding this one. It's not that much more than the hostel and the extra $20 makes me feel safe, so it is worth it.

The drive was pretty good. My 4 cylinder car longs for flat roads and I finally decided after 5 1/2 years what to name the car (because nothing really stuck or seemed to suit very well)...her name is Eileen ...and every time we are creeping up the hill, I start to sing (in my head and sometimes out loud) "Come on Eileen" the oldies song. It took longer to get here than we thought it would because of the mass amounts of hills to climb, rain, traffic and accidents -- we saw 4 truck accidents in the span of 50 miles and one of them happened right in front of us...a truck blew a tire and the metal seal from the tire just barely missed hitting my car and when he swerved off the road, he went right in front of me and barely missed me as well. not exactly exciting, but very grateful that all went well.

My car (other than fighting up the hills) is doing great with gas mileage...definitely a HUGE plus!

We are setting out early again tomorrow morning and heading to Little Rock. we are hoping for only a 12 hour day rather than the 15 hour day that we had today.

There will be pictures coming

Someone pinch me!

I have 8 1/2 hours until I leave...and I still have not finished packing and cleaning my room yet. Can we say procrastinator? And now I am sitting in my friend's living room, trying to not think about it all.